Soldier Defense stat, please help.

[ShortStrawJay]

I still can not figure out the Defense stat/shield icon. Is + or - good? As in, does say -4 give the foe a -4 to shooting? Or does it give the Soldier a -4 when being shot at? So basically, is 4 defense good? Or is -4 Defense good? yeesh. tyvm.

[johnnylump]

Positive is good. So a defense of 4 gives an opponent a -4 to their shots.